On this quiet December Sunday morning why don't you put the kettle on, make your favourite breakfast and settle down for a Festive Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo
🎅Merry Christmas Katie, what favourite food are you bringing to this Christmas Sunday brunch?
I found this amazing recipe for a Brussel sprout gratin and I make it every year. I know most people hate them, but, sorry, I love them. It’s really creamy and cheesy and just makes them delicious. I also have this fabulous Christmas tree shaped cake mould, so I’ll make a big cake in the shape of a tree and decorate it. This year though, I won’t make it green because we all thought we were ill with something terrible when our poo was green the next day! Sorry if that’s TMI!
🎅Would you like a pot of English breakfast tea, a strong Americano, or a celebratory glass of Bucks Fizz?
Definitely Bucks Fizz! I’m a sucker for bubbles no matter how early in the morning it is!
🎅Where shall we eat brunch – around the kitchen table, in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio?
Definitely in the dining room, though mine’s not very formal! Half of it is covered in the kids’ stuff they’ve dumped, and the other half is reserved for boardgames! We’ll clean it off for guests and for special occasions but most of the time you have to eat with your elbows in so you don’t knock anything off!
🎅Shall we have festive music playing in the background? And if so will you share with us a favourite Christmas song or piece of Christmas music that makes you happy?
There has to be festive music playing! To be honest, I start playing festive music as soon as December 1st comes along! My favourite song is The Fairytale of New York by the Pogues and Kirsty McCall. That line, ‘I built my dreams around you’ gets me every time!
🎅Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for Christmas Sunday Brunch today?
I’d love a natter with Jane Austen. There’d be so much to ask her and learn from her it would be an amazing conversation.
🎅Which favourite Christmas book will you bring to Sunday Brunch?
It has to be A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and we always watch the Muppet version every Christmas. That’s just a must in our house! And there has to be Christmassy nibbles and a hot chocolate too.
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| Penguin 2012 |
🎅When you are writing do you still find time to read for pleasure? And is there a book you would like to read but haven’t had time for …yet!
Oh my gosh, my Kindle is full of reads I want to get round too and haven’t yet. I’ve been a bit addicted to buying books when they’re 99p and there’s been a lot lately. I’ve got a bit of a backlog but I’m sure I’ll catch up eventually. I do read for pleasure and it really is the best way for me to relax. I love my own genre of romance, but I also really love reading cozy mysteries so I alternate between the two.
🎅What’s the oldest book on your book shelf?
The oldest book on my bookshelf is a copy of Winnie the Pooh and the House at Pooh Corner that I’ve had since I was very, very little. It’s falling apart so no one’s allowed to touch it, but I love knowing it’s there.
🎅Where do you find the inspiration for your novels?
Weirdly, it can come from anywhere – an overheard conversation, a place, a character trait I’ve seen in someone, a building or a feeling or experience. Sometimes, especially when writing a series, I have to think about how the characters can be different and that starts me off building a plot. For example, Hetty in Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay is a real go-getter while Nell in Winter Wishes at Swallowtail Bay is a real dreamer. I need to make them different so the reader doesn’t get bored.
🎅Have you a favourite place to settle down to write and do you find it easier to write in winter or summer?
I have a little desk in the corner of the dining room and that’s where I write all year round. I sometimes edit from my armchair in the living room if I’m working on paper, but mostly I sit in the corner and get on with it. I love writing in both seasons: summer because I can have the back door open and listen to the birds, winter because I can have sparkly lights and Christmas music on!
🎅When writing to a deadline are you easily distracted and if so how do you bring back focus on your writing?
Not to toot my own horn, but I am pretty focussed. I did my Masters distance learning from home and learned then how to structure my time and focus on the task at hand. It helps that my kids are at school so I can work when they’re there and the house is quiet. It does get a little harder when it’s busier, but somehow, I’ve managed to make it through.
🎅Give us four essential items that a writer absolutely needs?
Tea/Coffee
Fancy pens
Notebooks
Time to write!
🎅My latest novel is a fabulous festive read called Winter Wishes at Swallowtail Bay!
It’s all about Nell who is dreamy and loves a romcom but has to fight to save her hotel from going out of business. Our hero is Tom who is going through some pretty serious stuff of his own, but has been in love with Nell for years. Will Nell be able to find the love that has been right in front her the whole time?
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| HQ Digital October 2020 |
Grab your cosiest jumper and escape to the beautiful Swallowtail Bay!
Winter has arrived in Swallowtail Bay and Christmas and romance are in the air. But can two old friends discover a love that was always there, the whole time?
🎅Katie, where can we follow you on social media? 🎅
Instagram: @KatieGAuthor
🎅More about Katie🎅
KATIE GINGER lives by the sea in the south-east of England, and apart from holidays to very hot places where you can sit by a pool and drink cocktails as big as your head, she wouldn’t really want to be anywhere else. Winter Wishes at Swallowtail Bay is her sixth novel. She is also the author of Spring Tides at Swallowtail Bay, Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay, Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage and the Seafront series – The Little Theatre on the Seafront, shortlisted for the Katie Fforde Debut Novel of the Year award, and Summer Season on the Seafront.
When she’s not writing, Katie spends her time with her husband and two kids, and their dogs: Wotsit, the King Charles spaniel, and Skips, the three-legged rescue dog. (And yes, they are both named after crisps!)
🎅Thank you for taking part in Christmas Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo🎅
Follow us on Twitter @jaffareadstoo #SundayBrunchwithJaffareadstoo
I enjoyed this - always interesting to read where and how other authors write. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, Victoria. Thank you for visiting Jaffareadstoo.
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